Sanofi Pasteur agrees takeover of VaxDesign

Sanofi Pasteur has agreed a deal which will see it acquire the biotechnology company VaxDesign for an upfront fee of $55 million (34.8 million pounds).

The deal – which is expected to close by the end of the year – sees the vaccines division of Sanofi-aventis take control of a business which specialises in developing in-vitro models of the immune system.

Among its product offerings is the Modular Immune In-vitro Construct (Mimic) technology, which is to be utilised by Sanofi Pasteur in the evaluation of its vaccine candidates prior to phase I human testing.

Dr Michel DeWilde, senior vice-president for research and development at Sanofi Pasteur, expressed confidence that Mimic will allow the firm to maximise its chances of clinical success and shorten the time it takes for products to reach market.

He added: "This platform will provide a significant competitive advantage in the development of vaccines."

Earlier this year, the firm agreed a new antibody research partnership with Vivalis, which allows Sanofi Pasteur to utilise the Humalex human monoclonal antibody discovery platform.